







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| It's all about my lovely little cat, Pogo. | |
| It's almost 09:30. | |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | |
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | |
| No, we drain pasta with a grater. | |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | |
| When you stop believing we can get a house in Mayfair for 2,400! | |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | |
| Hm, okay... I think I got it, is it like Pinocchio? | |
| Erm... Yeah... Sure! It's our first anniversary! | |
| And the buses always arrive on time. | |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | |
| Let's calculate, I pay 135 per week for one person... | |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | |